Stop And Stare
by darrenmyer
Summary: After Burt Hummel dies of cancer, Kurt finds himself lost and seeks for help in a support group, where he meets a hazel eyed man who happens to be his counselor. Klaine!AU
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**

Hi guys, this is my first fanfic ever. I am an aspiring author but had only written original work up to now. English is not my mother language, nor do I have a beta who can help me out with this so PLEASE if you see a typo or even a grammatical mistake, let me know immediately so I can fix it. Thanks a lot for clicking on this fic. Let's read!

PS: the fic is named after the song "Stop and Stare" by OneRepublic

* * *

Death is painful, irreversible and hard. At least in the eyes of Kurt Hummel, it was. Losing one parent causes enough pain, let alone losing two. When Kurt turned 18, he got into NYADA, leaving his dad in Ohio with Finn and Carole. New York was what made him happy, he had Rachel as his roommate, a few boys hitting on him (which was really great, considering he had come from a conservative town) and well, he was finally in the city of his dreams, for God's sake. It had all lasted six months until his dad flew to New York and broke the news to him.

"I have prostate cancer." Burt said, looking at him directly in the eye.

That was the moment when Kurt felt the air escaping from his lungs and not giving any signs of returning, that fucked up sensation when your stomach drops in the worst way possible and all you can think is _no no no no_. That feeling stayed with him for a long, long time. Damn, he was feeling like this up to now. It took 7 years for Burt to pass away, and he had enjoyed every single moment he had gone through with his son, step son and wife. Kurt didn't take it lightly, though. The day his father died, he found himself screaming and demanding to enter the hospital room, with Finn holding him back and Carole trying to get him to calm down. The day his father's funeral was held, he found himself burning with rage, cursing the universe and its unfairness. You'd think knowing someone you love will die in a few years makes it better because you're aware of the problem but no, it doesn't. It just makes you angrier and angrier at everything, and ends up being worse than a sudden death, like his mother's had been.

"Wake up, sweetie." Carole said, nudging him awake gently. "You're gonna be late."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes with force and stretching, trying to ease some of the tension he seemed to have acquired recently. He was late for his first day of support group, something he found useless and was only going in order to make Carole worry less about him. No, he wasn't fine, would it pass? He didn't know. Was support group going to help him through this? Probably not. He had agreed to it since he had no social life anymore, taking care of your dad takes a lot of time. Kurt got himself ready quickly, something he had grown quite accustomed to, he was no longer the boy who loved fashion more than life itself. The ride to the community center was silent, with Kurt sighing every few minutes. The first impression wasn't good either, the place looked like an AA meeting and certainly smelled like one. To put it as shortly as possible: he didn't want to be there. A few people started to arrive and sit down, forming a chair circle, only a chair being left untouched. A few minutes later, just in time, a short, hazel eyed and curly haired man entered the room and sat down on the said chair, presenting himself as Blaine Anderson.

"Good morning." he said, his voice smooth and even.

"Good morning, Blaine." everyone around him replied. The guy, Blaine, looked at Kurt.

"I see there are some new additions to our group." he smiled softly. "Ok, let's all introduce ourselves and make sure everyone feels included."

The introductions started, a guy named Jason who was suffering from an unknown disease; a woman called Christina, who had divorced her husband and couldn't get over him; Braxton, a middle aged man who had lost all of his money to an online scam. The diversity was clear.

"I'm Kurt Hummel, 25, lost my dad to prostate cancer recently." he informed the group.

"Are you doing well, Kurt?" Blaine asked, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm fine, I guess." he told them, shrugging off like he usually did when asked about serious matters. Kurt internalized things a lot. Blaine stopped asking questions about him then, choosing to speak up to the entire group, saying lots and lots of encouraging phrases and such. Some group members discussed about them every once in a while, emphasizing the things that fit in their lives but nothing more than that. Kurt remained silent the whole time, until the meeting was over. Most of the people rushed out of the room as soon as it was possible, leaving Kurt behind with Blaine and more three or four people. As he headed to the parking lot, he felt someone grabbing his elbow.

"Hey, wait up!" Blaine said, smiling in a gentle way, as if Kurt were about to break.

"Hey, um...?" Kurt trailed off. Blaine shook his head.

"Blaine."

"What?"

"My name's Blaine." he said.

"No, I know. I just... what did you want?" Kurt asked, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes for a moment.

"I'm sorry to bother you, I'm really sorry for your loss." Blaine told him. _Everyone is... _the blue eyed man thought.

"It's okay." he simply replied instead.

"No, it's not. I can see it. You pull that strong guy mask over your face because you don't want to hurt people. Or make them worry about you." Blaine affirmed.

"I..."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm overstepping, it's just that... I know you're new to this kind of support group stuff, but I am your counselor. I want you to feel comfortable with telling me things, I want you to be able to open up to me." he said. "I'm sorry, I just met you today, you probably think I'm some creepy guy, I... I'm just... sorry." he said, smiling uncomfortably. "Have a nice day, Kurt."

And with that, Kurt was left alone in the parking lot, wondering what had just happened.

* * *

**This chapter was really short because I had this idea in my mind but only had one hour to write it, I promise next chapter will be longer though.**

******See you next Sunday and**

**THANKS A LOT FOR READING!**

**-Mandy **

**(AKA darrenmyer)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** **  
**

Hi guys! It's been almost a week since I last updated and Imma tell you something: I'll update every Sunday, today is Saturday but I couldn't help myself. This chapter includes some stuff about Blaine's life, so woo! Let's find out who he is. Anyway, Rachel is making a guest appearance here but I promise she's cool, she's really supportive of Kurt and well, she's still Rachel and has her flaws but yeah. I'd also like to thank the people who reviewed this story on , S&C and on tumblr. Enough, let's read!

* * *

Blaine slammed the door of his tiny apartment closed, while carelessly tossing the keys into a bowl. Work had been tough that day. As his job at the support group was 100% voluntary, he worked as a barista in a coffee shop in the afternoons, just so he could pay his bills. After he came out to his parents at the age of 19, Blaine had been disowned and thrown into the world with a small amount of money. Cooper helped him whenever he could, but he knew his brother had a family to take care of and couldn't fully support Blaine financially. That was the main reason he had dropped off college in New York and went back to Ohio. Apartments were expensive in New York, and he barely could afford the rent of the teeny tiny one he lived in Lima, Ohio. He grabbed some leftover pizza from the other night and turned the TV on, watching whatever was on it but without really paying attention._Kurt_. Now, Blaine was no professional when it came to counseling, sure, he was majoring in psychology in college but he never got the chance to actually graduate. The support group was the closest thing he'd ever get to being a psychologist. He had been extremely blunt to Kurt, telling a guy who had just lost his father to trust and open up to him. What the hell was he thinking. Blaine run a hand through his messy hair. Maybe he could fix it next Thursday, when Kurt came over to the support group.  
Meanwhile, Kurt got himself ready to bed, those were the worst times, when he was in the silence, thinking about life. He's remember everything that ever happened to him and his father, how much they had went through and it _hurt_, it hurt more than anything. It hurt so much he'd cry himself to sleep, mumbling how he wanted his father back or how he wanted to simply be dead in order to reunite with Burt. He had no hopes anymore, all the dreams he'd ever had were gone by now, him being left with the grief and pain alone. He was depressed to say the least, going out didn't seem like an option to him, he ate just enough so he wouldn't starve to death and his time was mostly spent sleeping.  
"You need to go out, Kurt." Finn told him the next morning over the breakfast table.  
"You don't get it, Finn." he sighed, taking another bite from his french toast.  
"I can try. I know I didn't experience this kind of pain because I never met my dad, but Burt was kind of a dad to me too. You're still my little brother and I care about you." He said and Kurt shook his head disbelievengly. "No, Finn, I'm not ready to go back to having a social life again, it's too soon. I... I just don't feel ready to let go yet."  
Finn smiled comfortingly, patting his brother's knee. "You can't postpone it forever though. Someday you'll have to go out, Rachel's coming to town next week, usually I'd keep her all to myself but I am willing to lend her to you, dude." Finn's smile faded away. "Not in _that_ way though, seriously, that'd be too weird and..."  
"Finn."  
"and it's totally considered cheating because..."  
"Finn."  
"and I'm sure you are good looking but she's..."  
"FINN!" He shouted.  
"What?" Asked the taller man, confused.  
"I'm gay, remember?" He said, suppressing a laugh.  
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, man." Finn laughed uncomfortably.  
"Don't worry..." Kurt told him, the sadness returning to his eyes.  
"I mean it, Kurt. Go out next week, please. For me." He insisted. And that was one more thing he'd add to the list of the things he'd done for other people.

* * *

Blaine was busy checking some e-mails when he received a skype call from Cooper, he immediately clicked on the answer button and his brother's face popped up on the screen.

"Hey, Blainers!" Cooper said gleefully, smiling like a dork.

"What's up, Coop?" he smiled as well, even though his was a little bit weaker.

"Not much, taking care of the kids and Sarah... What about you?" he asked.

"I'm fine..." Blaine answered half-heartedly, averting his gaze from the laptop camera.

"Yeah, right." Cooper laughed disbelievingly "You can fool yourself all you want but don't try to pull that shit on me."

"Same old, same old, Cooper..." he shook his head slightly.

"I've told you this before and I'm telling you now. Don't make me fly all the way to Ohio and kick your ass." Cooper pointed to the camera of his own laptop. "You're still young, Blaine, you're 28! You can do whatever you need and want to, come to New York, please." he begged.

"I can't just take your money, you know I can't ask you for this kind of thing." Blaine managed to say.

"You're not asking me, I'm offering my support to you. Why can't you just take it?" Cooper groaned.

"I can't, it's complicated." the dark haired man said.

"It's not... You go to New York, you apply to college, you worry about your education and I worry about the money." Cooper sighed and Blaine crossed his arms.

"You talk like a rich man, Cooper." he retorted.

"I'm comfortable, I'm not that poor, Blaine." Cooper was starting to get frustrated. Blaine couldn't possibly do that, he knew how much his brother wanted to go back to college.

"You can support three people, Cooper. If you add a fourth one to the equation, things are going to get complicated."

"I'll manage, I'll double my shift. I'll do whatever it takes, why can't you just accept that I'm willing to help you?"

"Because I can't do that to your wife and kids, ok?" Blaine raised his voice. "It's hard you know? Imagine, your husband giving away money for his fucking failure of a brother, while still having to support two little kids! I can't take that from them, Cooper!"

"We'll talk later, ok? I... little Sean is asking for me." Cooper said, ending the call.

* * *

"It's so good to see you, Kurt, I missed you so much!" Rachel said, hugging him tightly.

"Missed you too, Rach..." he said, hugging her as well but not with so much force.  
"I'm so sorry for your dad... I know I've said this before, but I just can't believe that happened, it's just so surreal..." she started to sob but stopped quickly. _Please, don't make me feel worse, Rachel._  
He nodded instead and pressed his lips in a thin line, trying to keep the tears from falling.  
"Ok, I'm not here to make you sad, I came to cheer you up." Rachel smiled softly, even though her voice was a little croaked. "What do you want to do?"  
Kurt sighed "I don't know..."  
"Do you want to get coffee?" asked Rachel, hesitantly.  
"Sure... whatever you want is good."

They drove in silence to the Lima Bean, Rachel looking over to Kurt every few seconds to make sure he was ok, his position wouldn't change though, he found himself slunched over the car door.

They got there quickly and got in the line.

"Good morning, welcome to the Lima Bean. What can I get you?" a familiar voice said and Kurt had to look up immediately. Blaine stood there in a black apron, also looking at him intently and curiously.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, hi Kurt... How are you?" Blaine replied breathlessly, eyebrows still arched up in surprise.

"I'm fine... I didn't know you worked here." the conversation was cut short as there were clients waiting for their own drinks.

"Yeah, um, sorry, I don't mean to be rude or anything but... What can I get you to drink?" he asked, apologizing. It was clear he wanted to keep talking but just couldn't.

"Uh, a grande non-fat mocha and an espresso, please." Kurt stammered, feeling the heat on his cheeks and ears.

"Ok, that'll be $8.67." he said, already accepting the 10 dollar bill. "See you next Thursday?" Blaine asked expectantly.

"Yes, of course. See you around, Blaine."

* * *

"Who was that guy you were talking to?" asked Rachel, taking a sip of her espresso.

"No one... He's just my counselor at support group." he answered, adding sugar to his coffee.

"Oh... Is there some mutual interest going on or...?" she tried to tease.

"You know I'm not ready for this, Rach..." he sighed uncrossing his legs. "I don't think I'll ever be. Plus, I doubt he's even interested."

"Why? Is he not gay?" Rachel gaped, resting her hands on the table.

"I don't know, maybe he is... But still, he's not there to pick anyone up, he's just trying to do his job by being polite toward me." he dismissed.

"Quacks like a duck." she smiled, trying not to laugh.

"Whatever." Kurt chuckled a little.

The rest of the day went on lightly as Rachel made an enormous effort into cheering Kurt up and changing the topic whenever it got too serious. Kurt was really greatful for it, really, but he just needed some alone time.

* * *

"This week, we'll be discussing about some interesting topics and I'd really like if everyone participated." Blaine said, smiling neutrally and looking at the support group members. "I want you all to tell the group one by one a remarkable experience you've had in your life. It can be anything, from a time you ate three tubes of ice cream at once," a few of the members laughed at that "to when you went on a trip and something great happened." Braxton, the middle-aged man was the first to start.

"I once went on a road trip with some friends of mine, we drove for twelve hours straight and ended up in a small town in the middle of nowhere. It took us a long time to find our way back, but it was worth it. We met some really good people there." he smiled at the memory.

"Your turn, Kurt." Blaine sais, snapping Kurt out of his thoughts.

"I... um... I didn't think about a story." he admitted, blushing at the attentive eyes of the people around him.

"It's ok, you can tell us whatever comes to your mind." Blaine smiled reassuringly.

"I... ok. Um, I was 16 and... well, I wasn't out of the closet yet. M-my dad, he... I wasn't sure how he would react if I told him so I had decided to stay where it was safe." he took a deep breath. _Don't cry, Kurt, don't cry_. "I joined the football team and surprisingly, I was pretty good. When we won the game because of me, I realized I could be a lot of things at once if I wanted to. So I told him... I told him, and I could tell there was something that died with him that day. I knew he accepted me, he wanted me to be happy no matter what. He told me that he loved me and we hugged each other. But I knew he thought 'Oh, I'll never have grandchildren to take care of...' and it killed me. It killed me that I couldn't give him that. It still kills me little by little every day." he was crying by this point. Everyone was staring at him intently as if they had no words to reply to that.

"Kurt, are you ok?" Blaine asked quietly, the worry clear in his hazel eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." he said, wiping his eyes. Blaine sighed.

"C'mon, let's get yourself clean and calm." he said, touching Kurt's shoulder. "Guys, let's take a quick break, ok?"

* * *

"You didn't have to do that, Blaine." Kurt shook his head slowly, drinking some of the water Blaine had given him so he would stop sobbing.

"I do have to do that, remember Kurt? I need you to feel well." he said smiling softly. "I'm not doing it because I have to, though."

"Why are you doing this then?" the blue eyed man asked almost angrily.

"I... don't know. You seem like you need support right now, Kurt. I want to help you because."

_Nice, another person who just thinks I'm a porcelain doll._ Kurt thought.

"Can I give you my phone number?" Great, Blaine. Be unprofessional.

"Why?" Kurt seemed startled by the question.

"Because I want you to contact me whenever you feel like you need someone to talk to, text me or call me whenever you want. Even if I'm probably asleep." he scribbled his number on a paper and Kurt accepted it without hesitation.

* * *

**Wee! Hi, you guys. I managed to finish this on Wednesday and look: 2,1k words! I call that an accomplishment. I'll be updating next Sunday as well, so yeah, thanks a lot for reading. Please, if you like this story, review it because I smile so freaking hard when you guys comment on it. See you next Sunday!**

**-Mandy or darrenmyer**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note**

**Hey, guys. This is really short but the next chapter will be the sequel to this one, I'm sorry... S&C user fairytalesarereal suggested something really cool that I added to this chapter, cars, so thanks sweetie! Let's read. UPDATE: PART TWO IS NOW BLENDED WITH PART 1**

* * *

Kurt felt tempted to call Blaine throughout the weekend, but decided against it. His motives weren't even about the so called depression anymore. He just wanted someone who wasn't Rachel, Finn or Carole to talk to. Blaine intrigued him to say the least, the way he looked at him was just like the way an old friend would and that made him feel welcome to talk about anything with the man, he would not push his luck though. Instead, he decided he'd work in the garage with Finn. His brother was holding his father's business all alone. It had actually made him feel bad for Finn, he knew he didn't want to be a mechanic, he wanted to be a teacher, but for now they had to work in the Tire Shop so they could earn some money and not let their father's employees lose their jobs. It made Kurt very aware of his emotions though, he felt like he was replacing his dad and it made him think badly about himself, even the employees, who had known him since he was born now looked at him like he was the new Burt, and it pained him. Not only because he'd never be able to fill his father's shoes but because he felt like he had to too. The shop was slow that day, only a few customers coming in to check on their car statuses and buy products, that is, until a man with a mess of dark curly hair showed up. Blaine was wearing casual clothes, his glasses accommodated on the bridge of his nose and sockless shoes on. He made his way until the end of the shop, where Finn was working behind the counter.

"Good morning, um... My car is making some squeaky sounds and I thought it would be a good idea to bring it here so you can do a check-up." He told Finn, smiling easily.

"Oh, sure. I'll call one of the guys. What's your name, sir?" Finn asked, taking a small notepad and scribbling something before looking expectantly at Blaine.

"Blaine Anderson."

"Ok. Wait just a second..." Finn said and turned to his side. "Kurt!" He shouted. A brown haired guy covered in grease and oil looked up from the corner. _That can't be him_. Blaine thought.

"What, Finn?" Kurt yelled back, the shop was really loud so it was hard to communicate so Finn simply made a 'come here' gesture.

Blaine blushed because that wasn't the Kurt he was accustomed to, he was wearing a dirty tank top, with an overall tied around his slim waist and boots. He also looked sweaty, in Blaine's defense.

Kurt seemed to be startled by Blaine's sudden appearance in his Tire Shop, but recovered himself quickly by wiping his dirty hands on the overall and smiling at Blaine.

"Hey Blaine." He said.

"Hi Kurt." Blaine was mesmerized, he couldn't believe that even like this Kurt looked that beautiful. He quickly recovered himself as well and stopped drooling over the guy.

"You guys know each other?" Finn said, oblivious to the looks they were giving each other.

"Um, yeah..." Kurt started, looking at Finn and back to Blaine "He's my counselor at the community center."

"Oh, cool. I'll leave you two alone then, gotta get back to work!" the taller man said.

"Um, where's your car, Blaine?" Kurt asked awkwardly, looking everywhere but at the hazel eyed man.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you worked here, I just parked in the first shop I found." Blaine apologized, frowning a little "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Kurt snapped out of his thoughts "No! Not at all, sorry, I spaced out a little." he said, forcing a smile.

Blaine seemed to think a little "Ok, my car is outside."

"Let's see what's wrong then..." Kurt told him, exiting the shop and making his way towards the car.

* * *

"Would you like to go out with me?" Blaine asked, after Kurt was done with the car. Kurt's eyes widened.

"As friends, I mean." Blaine cleared his throat and blushed "You know, bros helping bros." _fuck Blaine, I can't believe you said that._

Kurt paused. "When?" Blaine seemed to be surprised by Kurt's response.

"Uh, today?" he asked, smiling softly.

"Are you sure? I still have to take a shower and change and you don't have your car so you'll have to wait and..." Kurt started.

"Hey, hey... Don't worry, that's not a problem. Take all the time you want." Blaine shook his head a little, smiling at Kurt's adorableness.

* * *

"What would you like to order?" Blaine asked Kurt, who was scanning the menu skeptically.

"Um, the suk... sukiy..." he trailed off.

"You've never been to a Japanese restaurant, have you?" Blaine said, chuckling a little at the adorableness of Kurt's flushed face. The taller man shifted uncomfortably on his seat.

"Hey, hey... Don't feel embarrassed, when I first tried it, I brought shame to the part asian people." he laughed coyly. "How do you feel about sushi?"

"I think the idea of eating raw fish doesn't attract me in the least." Kurt sighed "Look Blaine, I know you're trying to be nice and I appreciate you but..."

"No buts, Hummel." he shook his head slightly with a soft smile "What about I order something which is not raw fish... Well, something like the sukiyaki dish you were talking about?"

Kurt's expression softened at the news and Blaine could feel the tension draining off him.

"Okay."

* * *

"This is delicious..." Kurt said, shoving a piece of tofu into his mouth with the help of chopsticks.

"I knew it would be a good idea to bring you here." Blaine laughed at the man, who was practically in love with his dish. Kurt seemed to stop in his tracks for a moment. "Why did you bring me here, really?" he asked, looking for some sign in Blaine's eyes and the dark haired man felt hipnotized by the blue eyes for a second before snapping out of his thoughts.

"Um, I don't know... You look like you might need a friend right now, Kurt." Blaine shrugged as if he had mentally prepared himself for this moment to flow so easily.

"So this is a pity party then." Kurt stated, looking him dead in the eye.

"No, no Kurt, not at all!" Blaine started "I... you seem like a guy I'd like to know and that's a huge thing for me to say."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have a lot of friends, Kurt. Don't get me wrong, I'm not using you just like I could, I don't know, drop my baggage on you or something. But when I look at you, I see the kind of guy I'd like to be friends with." _maybe even more_, Blaine adds in his head.

"Are you gay?" Kurt asks softly.

"I... yes."

* * *

Things got really weird after that, they shared the bill, hugged their respective goodbyes and Blaine ends up catching a cab home, as his car wasn't completely ready yet.

_Why do you always screw things up, Blaine? Now he thinks you're a fucking pervert who's trying to get in his pants, way to go. I just need a beer._

Blaine opened the door to his tiny apartment just to find Cooper laying on his couch, watching something on Netflix.

"Cooper? What are you doing here?" he asked disbelievengly.

"Hi, lil' bro!" he looked up smiling so hard his face was almost splitting in half. "Missed me?" Cooper made his way to Blaine, hugging him tightly and ruffling his hair, silently thanking the Gods that his little brother had stopped using hairgel.

"Um, Coop...? Not that I'm not happy to see you but... why are you here? We were supposed to meet up in a couple weeks."

"I know!" Cooper was almost jumping with excitement. "But I have some good news and I didn't want to wait for a couple weeks!" Cooper took a deep breath so as to calm down. "I got promoted."

"You what?!" Blaine asked, smiling widely "Congrats Coop!" he hugged his brother one more time.

"Do you know what this means?" Cooper asked. "I'm gonna pay for your college shit and you're gonna fucking let me because I can afford it and I won't take no for an answer."

"Cooper..." Blaine started.

"No, no. Shut up and fucking listen just for once, please." Cooper cleared his throat. "Sarah and the kids have everything they need, I've talked to Sarah and she agreed with me that it's time for you to go back to college. She fully supports you. _We _fully support you." Blaine sat down on the sofa, he knew this was going to be a long discussion.

"Now, before you start with your old little speech 'oh my God, my poor older brother, I'm a burden, I don't deserve to be happy' freaking listen to me, ok?" He said and Blaine nodded.

"You're 28 and you struggle to live every single day. You work in a community center for free because you love helping people so much you don't even care, even if your problems are bigger than theirs. You _deserve_ to be happy, Blaine. And I'm gonna be the one who helps you reach this goal."

Blaine's adam's apple was throbbing as if he were holding on not to cry, Cooper chose to ignore it.

"Now, this is not gonna be like all the times I offered you money and you didn't take it. This time I'm sure you will, but I'll give you the right to think about it. I want the answer in two weeks." Cooper stated, making his way out of the apartment. "I'll crash on a friend's place so you can have some privacy, okay?"

"Hey... Coop?" Blaine whispered, feeling the tears threatening to fall.

"Yes, Blaine?" he asked, slightly turning away from the door.

"You're more of a father to me than anyone could ever be."

"I love you too."

* * *

**weep**


	4. Chapter 4

**Look, a new chapter! I hope you're enjoying this story so far, I'm having a blast writing it. Thanks for favoriting, reblogging, liking, following and reviewing. You guys make me feel extremely happy when you do so! **

* * *

From unknown number:

_Hi, I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable yesterday, I'm sorry. -Kurt_

From Blaine:

_No, no, don't worry seriously. Sincerely, I thought I was the one making you uncomfortable._

From Kurt:

_Why? I was the one to ask about your sexuality, that was really nosy._

From Blaine:

_Well, I don't really mind quite frankly... I was actually worried you'd think I'm just trying to get in your pants, when I honestly care about you._

From Blaine:

_Not that I don't think you're really pretty._

From Blaine:

_I just don't want you to think I'm a pervert._

From Blaine:

_Ok, I should stop talking right now, I bet I'm freaking you out._

From Kurt:

_Relax Blaine, see you on Thursday?_

From Blaine:

_Yeah, yeah, of course. :)_

* * *

"How are we feeling today?" Blaine asked the group, adjusting his glasses and smiling politely.

Everyone replied "fine" as they always did, Blaine knew he had to dig a little deeper, most of the people here were content to keep their problems to themselves, which was actually the opposite of what the group stood for.

"Ok, Kurt? How was your week?" he asked, smiling at the man warmly.

"Um, fine I guess... I feel like I'm gradually becoming a happier person, I don't know? I just feel like my dad would want me to go on with my life, and not mourn after his death forever." Kurt sighed "I feel like I'm healing after years of being sick and it feels great."

"I'm glad you're getting better, Kurt." and Blaine told him like he meant it.

* * *

"Dude, you're out of your room!" Finn exclaimed, grinning like a fool.

"Wow, Finn. Amazing observation skills you got there." Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at his brother, he'd been feeling more alive since he'd started to go to support group. Maybe it had been a good idea, after all, he wouldn't have met Blaine if it wasn't for it.

"Don't be mean, bro." he smiled "I've been meaning to talk to you about something, sit down." he patted the seat next to him, Kurt frowned in confusion but sat down.

"Welp, there's something we need to discuss. Ya know Rob, from dad's shop. He's been working for us for a long time." Finn continued "I wanna be a teacher and you wanna go to NYADA, well, we can't do that while we are worrying about the shop."

"Are you-"

"No, listen up. Rob... what I'm trying to say is that, he's loyal to us plus his family is awesome, his wife always makes me cookies. He could use some more money, and a way of giving him what he deserves is making him in control of the shop." Finn said, gesticulating "This way, we'd still keep the money we get, we wouldn't have to worry if the shop's doing fine, at least not as much as we worry now and we could go on with our lives."

"I... this is a good idea, Finn, but I don't know, it's pretty hard to let go of something like this..."

"Kurt, we're not letting go, we're giving this man an opportunity and we're giving ourselves the same thing." Finn sighed "a second chance is what we need, Kurt. We need to move on."

"I know, Finn. I'm glad you think like that." Kurt managed to smile weakly.

"Thanks, Kurt, I'll talk to Rob tomorrow." he paused "I feel like you're finally moving on." Finn smiled as well.

"I hope I am."

* * *

"So, how has life been treating you?" Kurt said, and Blaine looked up he was reading. They were at the Lima Bean, Blaine wasn't working, it's just that he had nothing else to do. Coming to the coffee shop relaxed him, he could see people talking and interact with them in some kind of way. Ok, well, he didn't have many friends, or at all.

"Kurt!" he exclaimed, the excitement clear in his voice "What are you doing here?" he grinned.

"Ahh, well, just was looking for some coffee and stuff. Can I get you anything?" Kurt smiled shyly, Blaine was gaping at him, all bright eyed and adorable.

"No, no! I'm cool, just... yeah." he paused for a second before snapping out of his thoughts "Would you like to join me?"

"Of course, I thought you were busy there." Kurt pointed to his laptop.

"Um, well, not really. I was filling my college application." Blaine admitted, looking at his hands for a moment.

"My brother is trying to make me do it as well. Where are you planning to go?" Kurt asked.

"NYU, you told me something about NYADA, didn't you?" Blaine smiled at the thought, maybe he and Kurt could share an apartment some day, who knows.

"Yeah, I used to go there, but with dad getting sick and all..." Kurt trailed off, this subject was clearly something he didn't enjoy talking about, so Blaine decided not to push it. "Why did you leave college. I mean, I don't know, did you use to go to college?"

Blaine took a deep breath, not many people asked him about this, but he wanted to be honest with Kurt.

"I... kind of came out to my parents when I was in college. I was seeing this guy called Tyler, we had just started going out and I was pretty excited. Well, one day, my mom and dad called me and I said I was seeing someone."

He paused looking through the coffee shop's window for a moment. "My mom asked 'oh, who is the lucky girl?' and I frowned, because how had they not noticed? And I said, his name is Tyler, mom."

"And what did she say?" Kurt asked quietly, already sensing what was to come.

"She hung up on me. The next day, I was woken up by my dad screaming atrocities at me and my mom crying, saying I was going to hell and how she wished she never had me." he shrugged as if it were nothing. "They left, called me the next day saying they had put money on my bank account and told me to never contact them again."

"I'm so sorry, Blaine." Kurt was pretty much crying a this point, Blaine was no different.

"It's ok, my brother cut contact with them as well, he's like 10 years older than me so he's all the 'paternal' figure I need in my life. We've always been close." he smiled weakly. Kurt surprised the older man by hugging him tightly but letting go much too soon for Blaine's liking.

"Why do we always end up having deep conversations when we run to one another?" Kurt laughed a little, averting his gaze from Blaine's.

"I don't know, but I'm not opposed to it."

"Neither am I."

* * *

**Oh man, that was cool, I hope you review, favorite or follow this story, that'd be awesome. Thanks a lot for reading, see you next week!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Author's note: I'm so so so sorry for the delay between chapter 4 and 5, a big thank you to Ramenda (blackwhiteriot) for helping me a little with the plot, seriously buddy woah thanks a lot! Let's read!**

* * *

"Hey, dude." Finn said, scratching his back while making his way to the kitchen. "Watcha doin'?"

"College application." Kurt replied without even looking up from the computer's screen. Finn couldn't hide his bright grin.

"Are you for real?" he exclaimed, making his way towards his brother. "That's amazing, Kurt!"

"Woah, calm down there..." Kurt couldn't contain his chuckle. "I'm not in New York yet, remember?"

"I know! But you're filling your application, you're thinking about your future." Finn smiled. "You're moving on!"

"Is that a good thing?" Kurt sighed, letting his arms drop on his lap, tipping his head back and closing his eyes.

"Hey, nope, stop doing that." Finn frowned at him, slapping his hands away from his lap and forcing his head back up.

"Dumbass." Kurt muttered, Finn then laughed fondly.

"You'll thank me later, lil' bro."

* * *

"Bro! It's so good to see you!" Cooper said, almost crushing his younger brother. It was time for one of their family gatherings. Family being: Cooper; Sarah, his wife; Sean, Conner and Blaine.

"It's great to see you too, Coop!" Blaine smiled widely, getting his suitcase and stepping in.

"Uncle Blainey!" Sean, the youngest, exclaimed, running to his only uncle and hugging his legs.

"Well, how is my little Sean doing?" Blaine smiled down at the little boy, picking him up and pressing a gentle kiss to his messy sand-brown hair. He fucking loved kids.

"I'm not little, uncle Blainey. I'm a grown-up!" the little boy frowned, squinting his big blue eyes.

"Well, what should I call you then? Big Sean?" Blaine pretended to be offended by his nephew.

"No! Just Sean!" Sean laughed. "I'm almost 6, ok?"

"Ok, Just Sean, I want to talk to your mom and your brother, ok? Want me to put you down?" he asked.

"Nope, carry me." the little boy laughed, delighted to have his uncle back.

"As you wish..." he said, walking to the living room, where Sarah watched some kind of culinary show and Conner played with his hot-wheels.

"Look who's here! It's Uncle Blainey!" Sean shouted to his mom and brother. Conner looked up and his face cracked into a huge smile. Sarah came to hug Blaine tightly.

"Did you make up your mind?" she asked, referring to his college plans.

"Yeah..." he said awkwardly, he never felt awkward around them, but the situation he found himself at the moment wasn't exactly pleasant.

"Hi!" Conner said happily, hugging Blaine tightly.

"How are you doing, Con?" Blaine smiled, looking back and forth between Conner and Sean. He was really regretful of not being a bigger part of their lives, they were growing up fast. The little boy shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess..." he chuckled, looking at his feet and bouncing a little.

"Good..." Blaine ruffled his hair and put Sean down. "I really missed you guys... all of you." he said, gesturing to Sarah and Cooper as well. Cooper seemed to notice Blaine's uneasy behavior.

"Kids... Why don't you go take a shower and leave daddy, mommy and Blainers alone so we can talk?"

"But dad!" Sean whimpered. "We only have one bathroom in our room!"

"Conner, do you mind using the guest room's bathroom?" Cooper laughed.

"No, daddy, I can go." and with that, both boys went upstairs so they could shower. Blaine could sense what was about to come, he was finally sitting down and talking for real about his future in years, nervous was an understatement.

"Do you want anything to drink, Blaine?" Sarah asked, already heading to the kitchen.

"Um... water is fine." Blaine smiled tightly.

"So...?" Cooper asked quietly, sitting down on the couch and motioning for Blaine to join him, Blaine sat down with a thump.

"I... I'll take any help you can give me, Coop." he sighed, looking defeated.

"Are you serious?" Cooper exclaimed. "That's great! Have you filled the application yet?"

Blaine could only nod.

* * *

"So... I'll be moving to New York soon, you guys..." Blaine said, adjusting his glasses and smiling politely at the support group. "Mr. Harolds will be your new counselor, so that's basically the last time I'll be here before I move..."

Some people aw'ed, some people didn't care. Kurt was the only one who felt a pang in his chest. _If he's going to New York, we won't have daily interaction anymore... even though I'm coming too... _

"I'd just like to thank you guys for all the support you've been giving me all this time." he said and a few of them chuckled. "No, I'm serious, you guys make me want to study for real so I can help many, many more people. You give me all the inspiration I need. And although I'm sad to go, I know I'm leaving all of you in good hands and that someday I'll able to look back and say 'hey, that's what kept me going when I was going through a rough time.' so... thank you, I hope you all have a good life."

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Haaa this is so short I might punch myself, but I just wanted to give you guys something for now. It's been like, 3 months since I'd last updated. Welp, procrastination + writer's block + busy schedule at school = no S&S updates. Buuuut, I think I'll be able to update sooner than you think, and no, no waiting more than a month for a short as fuck chapter. THANK YOU SO MUCH, PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL STICKING WITH ME, YOU GUYS DESERVE COOKIES. LOTS OF COOKIES.**


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